Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

Since January, health authorities have identified more than a million Covid-19 cases throughout the United States.

New York has become the epicenter of the country’s outbreak with 304,372 confirmed cases and 23,587 deaths so far. When adjusted for population, that translates to roughly 1,565 known cases and 121 deaths for every 100,000 residents.

Experts say these numbers don’t give the whole picture because many cases — including mild or asymptomatic infections — have not been diagnosed.

Every state is following a different coronavirus trajectory. New York and Washington were hit hard during the pandemic’s early days, for example. But cases and deaths have risen more slowly in other states, some of which haven’t yet hit their “peaks,” according to a model developed by researchers from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, says that those differences make it impossible to use a one-size-fits-all approach during the pandemic.

“We have to realize that we're a large country that has outbreaks in different regions, different states, different cities, that have different dynamics, and different phases in which they are in,” Fauci said in late April.

In an effort to mitigate the virus’ spread, state and local authorities throughout the country have moved to limit large gatherings, close non-essential businesses and ordered residents to stay in their homes, triggering a near-total national shutdown.

In many areas, the conversation has shifted to when these communities can re-open. In mid-April, the White House unveiled a three-phase plan, including guidance that states should meet certain “gating criteria” before taking steps to re-open. One of those benchmarks is for states to have a “downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period,” and it’s clear many states aren’t there yet.